A Room With a View

Don’t get me wrong.  I like kids.  And I like other people’s kids the best.  I just would like to know the kid before I get put in charge of them.  Here’s what happened:

I was attending the “aforementioned” graduation.  A former colleague of mine D. was there as current faculty.  The faculty lines up in two rows and the new graduated pass in between them  as they enter the football field.  A last chance for “Congratulations!” and “Thank you!” and a few hugs.  D. stood there holding her granddaughter.  When the faculty walked in following the students, there she is with baby. 

I ended up sitting two rows behind D. and her friend (who was in charge of the younger grandchild).  This was my first graduation as a not-a-faculty-member.  D. didn’t sit with the faculty up front. 

The point of all this is that several times during the ceremony D. turned with baby (meaning toddler) and said, “Watch her.”  And now I’m in charge.  Wonderful little girl, really.  I don’t know her name.  She was on a leash for a reason.  She enjoyed a little football that she fortunately did not throw when I had her in my possession. 

I just found the whole situation absurd.  Never a “Can you watch her?” or “Do you mind holding her for a minute?”  Simply, “Watch her.”  and then D. turned around so SHE could watch graduation. 

And of course, after the ceremony was over, the two of them could not handle two kids by themselves.  “Can you help us to the car?”  Certainly rumors were started as we made our way to the car.  “When did Mr. P get a kid?”  A lot has happened in the year since I left…

Is anyone else tired of graduation ceremonies?

I know that I was tired by the time I had my own high school graduation.  The hoopla.  The pictures.  The heat.  The sitting.  The speeches.

This year the second class that I taught (when they were 8th graders) were graduating.  I no longer teach at that school, but I went to the graduation to see them walk across the stage and see how many I actually recall by name.  It’s scary how quickly names slip away even though I am not yet 30.

This year’s valedictorian was a student who was hard to describe when he was in 8th grade.  R.C. was incredibly bright.  There was very little I could actually teach him in English or Literature.  I enjoyed him immensely though I didn’t understand him or know a lot about what was going on in his head.  It was clear that he was highly intelligent.  Quite often he would be pondering some sort of technical gadget or circuit or something related to a computer or machie that he was either building or thinking of building.  All the teachers remarked that R.was destined for greatness; there was something great in store for a young man who was so desperately NOT like everyone else.

The valedictorian address approached and I wondered just what kind of speech it would be.  I had not talked to R. in a couple years.  Would it be a speech above all of our heads.  Most conversations with him had me simply nodding my head and saying, “Uh huh”  “Of course” and “Wow! I didn’t know that.” Most speakers speak about dreams–would his be about the actual brain process in formulating a dream?

In actuality, the speech was very witty.  I laughed a lot.  He did speak about dreams and how most speakers will say they hope “all your dreams will come true.”  R. does not share that hope.  He mentioned that some people dream of falling, some of being in public naked…all of those horrible, stereotypical dreams that we can all relate to or have seen on some sitcom somewhere acted out.  Said deadpan.  I’m not sure people quite caught on to the speech quick enough to enjoy all that he was saying or that they even had a clue as to who this kid was.  He said that he had hoped to include his favorite word “aforementioned” in his speech, but he had failed to do so.  Wait–nevermind.  Mine was the only laugh I heard. 

Thank you, R., for a non-quite-so-ordinary speech.  The aforementioned teachers knew you were something special and wondered where you would go.  We did so with a little fear because we did not see a young man capable of all things.  But you have grown a great deal. 

May your most important dreams come true.  May the scary or the weird dreams not be part of your destiny.